Christopher Williams , Tradition and change in legal English

Verbal constructions in prescriptive texts

Bibliographic Data

ID7901732
AuthorsAnn Sinsheimer (University of Pittsburgh, corresponding author)
Year2007
Volume36
Issue3
Pages473-474
Publication date2007-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguage in Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0047-4045 • E-ISSN: 1469-8013
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0047404507070339
OpenAlexW2115920713
LanguageEN
Citations received1

Christopher Williams , Tradition and change in legal English: Verbal constructions in prescriptive texts . Bern: Peter Lang, 2005. pp. 216. $46.95. Christopher Williams analyzes the use of constructions such as modals and semi-modals such as shall and may and the use of the present simple as these constructions appear in English prescriptive legal texts. Using a large corpus of texts from a variety of English-speaking countries and international organizations, Williams focuses primarily on legislative texts, which are often characterized as including archaic or rarely used words and foreign words, the repetition of particular words and phrases, the use of long, complex sentences, and the passive voice (p. 31). Williams's analysis, thoughtfully designed and carried out, is an informative examination of how and why legal language has resisted change. The book also provides an engaging look at the Plain Language Movement and the impact this movement has had on legal texts

Aesthetics · Legislature · Linguistics · Modal verb · Movement (music) · Repetition (rhetorical device) · Sociology · Variety (cybernetics) · Verb · Artificial Intelligence · Comparative and International Law Studies · Computer Science · History · Law, logistics, and international trade · Legal Language and Interpretation · Philosophy · Psychology

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